Wings of Fury
by arrek125
Summary: Logios of the Angels Revenant is a by the books, codex compliant Adept of the Astartes. In the purge of a heretic cult upon a planet, Logios is thrust into the Warp, shifting and morphed through its vile powers, and finds himself in a world devoid of the God Emperor's divine light.
1. Chapter 1

The church was silent, save for the thuds of heavy ceramite boots upon its tarnished ground. Unholy symbols were present all along the walls, protruding with the menacing spikes and evil aura. Yet this had not affected the Astartes who were plodding through the empty corridor, their weapons held at waist level. Behind them laid many cultists who were slaughtered ruthlessly, mercy and quarter unknown to their corpses.

"Ammo used?" adept Logios inquired of his fellow Astartes through the vox within his helmet. Whilst they could communicate, the silence outside the suits would stay. The Astartes in question was in front of him, a purity seal upon his pauldron.

"Twenty rounds. I still have ten left, brother," responded his battle brother, Markais. His tone was near jovial, as if attempting to make a joke.

"Perhaps it is best for you to reload," Logios returned, boltgun still trailing any nooks and crannies.

A dark chuckle came from his brother. "They are but mere men, what harm could they do? The worst I saw was a rifle that came from a manufactorum rather than a backroom," he shot back.

His need to shake his head was fierce, yet he kept his eyes forward as he stated, "You don't know what they have. It is best to be safe."

There was a pause before Markias reloaded slowly. It was far too slow to possibly be safe while advancing. Logios would never be pleased with his battle brother, and this was always why.

"Be alert," he growled whilst coming up on a large opening, barred off by two large wooden doors.

"What if I just kicked it in?" he asked.

"Don't."

"I'm afraid you're correct," he conceded, a glimmer of hope in him yet. "We should blow it open with a fragmenta-"

"No!" Markais shouted. "Let us not ruin our element of surprise like this. Standard breaching protocol should be employed."

"And waste time on petty cultists? If we get this resolved quickly, we may yet be there for more important objectives."

Markais steeled his face, though whatever effect it would have would be for not with the helmet. "What could be more important than protecting the Imperium against the spread of the taint?"

"Simple: Protecting it at large from an invasion of it," he quickly responded before nearly touching the door. "Breaching!" he shouted, raising his leg.

"By the Emp-"

The door was blasted back from the force of the power armored superhuman kick, and inside laid many cultists who were caught unawares. They were gathered into a circle, underneath them lay some sort of ritual of blood. Hooks adorned the ceiling, some with imperial corpses suspended on them.

Immediately, Logios pulled back the trigger of his boltgun, producing a loud burst of fire from the muzzle. The bullet had sailed directly into the surprised face of a corrupted human, digging in and blowing up horrendously.

Yet Logios had no time to focus on details, instead letting loose a storm of bolt rounds faster than the humans could react. Several more had holes blown within their bodies as they attempted to retreat. With ammo still in his magazine, it was over before they knew what hit them.

"Hah!" Markais barked, "See? This is much quicker."

"You're lucky they weren't prepared."

"Luck had nothing to do with it, brother. That brings me up to thirty three."

Logios could not help a snort at that. He was still keeping track of that, yet probably lost count of his magazine. "And-"

"Two left," he interrupted, answering his question before it came. He seemed to giggle as he advanced casually through the room, scanning it for threats.

Logios did the same, albeit ready to jump at a moment's notice, as his companion should be. He advanced behind him, as per usual, though this room had felt more revolting than the other. He could not explain why, but he was on edge.

"I sense something off. Stay alert," he warned his compatriot.

Markias swiveled around, his shoulder now facing Logios. Another purity seal was stamped onto his breastplate, a sign of his experience in these matters. "You said that before, and yet, here we are, still facing inadequate foes."

"I seem to repeat myself around you far too often. Perhaps I am not the issue here!"

"You simply rely on the codex far too much, as if it is a higher scripture than any other. 'Caution' this, 'cautious' that, can you not abandon protocols for one moment to adapt yourself?"

Logios stood, taken aback. His gun slightly dropped in his awe. "I cannot believe you would simply throw away all that which we are based upon!"

"Brother, believe me, I would rely on the tome if it was worth something here, but it is not."

How could he have received two purity seals, yet is this ignorant? "It is worth-"

Suddenly, Logios flew backwards as a massive force slammed against the front of his armor. A rush of relief flooded through his body as he crashed into a wall, falling down to the ground. He immediately attempted to evaluate his weaponry, but found that his hand was free of his boltgun.

Upon looking up, he saw an emanating purple-red cloud and knew the chaotic warp was involved here. He saw Markais, lying against the wall, his helmet facing downwards. There was no conceivable way a blast like that could have killed a space marine, or even knock one unconscious.

Suddenly, he saw the boot of another marine approach. However, instead of the ceramite sabaton leading up to a leg, it instead lead to the bottom of a robe. Further up laid the tell-tale signs of power armor, though the way it looked, it was covered in a scale-like substances and a tainted icon laid in the middle of the breastplate. The helmet had unnaturally glowing green eyes, and had spiralling horns topping it.

"And I thought I was just hearing things," a silky voice had announced, loud and clear.

"For the Emperor!" Logios screamed, raising to a knee and grabbing the knife out of the scabbard on his left leg.

However, for all his battle vigor, it was for naught as a force had grasped his hand, seizing it in place. Logios had grit his teeth, attempting to push forward with all his might, but it was of no use.

"Yes, yes, continue with your practiced diatribe. It affects me not, brother," he continued, his words dripping with venom. "You have lost, simple as that. Your fate is officially mine to choose."

Whilst Logios still attempted against the force, his eyes caught the form of Markias moving. He had lifted his boltgun up, and had it pointed directly at the sorcerer's head. He had prayed for him to fire as quickly as possible rather than letting the traitor continue.

"Now, you've provided me with-"

His speech was halted as a click rang out in the room. Another click. Once more. A look of horror grazed Logios' face for a moment, but he immediately rectified this.

Markais looked at his weapon for a moment before stating, "I miscounted. I actually fired two at-"

Another interruption rang out as his helmet fell, his vox cut short. A large hole was present in it, and it was leaking fresh blood. Looking back at the sorcerer, a hand of his held a smoking bolt pistol. "Now," he emphasized, "You've provided me with an interesting choice. Just what to do with you?"

"My faith in the Emperor shall prevail, you traitor. I shall break these bounds and destroy you!"

The sorcerer seemed to chuckle as his staff bent downward. The force pulled his hand painfully, despite the drugs that had kicked in. His knife clattered against the ground, leaving him with only a bolt pistol, though the force prevented him from doing anything.

"I had quite the gathering here. In fact, I was so close to achieving my ascension. So. Very. Close," he accentuated every pause with a step forward and a dipping of his staff. "What ever shall I do with you?"

Logios lifted himself as best as he could, attempting his hardest to refuse to give in to his fate.

"Hm. I do not know what would fit, so I'll tell you what: I'll let the warp decide."

"No!" he screamed, his will to defeat the sorcerer undaunted.

The sorcerer laughed as the vision of Logios filled with a haze of purple-red. His entire body felt a shifting, as if parts of his body that were not meant to move a certain way were shifting to do so. His skin crawled as his bones seemed to set into new shapes, and his power armor began to crack.

There was a pain for a brief moment before a world of darkness faded over him. The Astartes welcomed the darkness as he knew he would. Death by battle, his natural end.

The silence was broken quickly by a scratching sound. Logios' eyes snapped open, letting a very colorful world into his vision. It was as if it was a paradise world. He seemed to be atop some sort of plateau, overviewing some sort of green land with some snowy caps nearby. In front of him laid a large, reptilian creature with wings. It was silvery in color, and was quite sleek in appearance.

His threat assessment out of the way, he quickly attempted to get to his feet, ready to attack the foul looking creature should it prove hostile. However, he felt the ground, oddly enough, and felt as though his armor was not present.

This was not a problem for an Astartes, however, and he quickly adjusted. He searched for a weapon to use, peering down momentarily as he was getting up.

What he saw was less than desirable. Instead of his human hands were the talons of a reptilian creature. He moved a finger, and one of the talons had moved, just as if it were his finger. Knowing this was a part of his body, given the expectation of warp taint, he was planning on using that as his weapon.

When he was shifting to stand, he could only find himself upon his four appendages, seemingly unable to actually stand. His back legs felt extremely odd, as if they were disjointed in some way and over jointed in another. This would not deter him. He could evaluate this and get such problems resolved with an apothecary later.

In the end, he stood at the ready against the lone animal that seemed to stare at him. Then, its mouth moved as it stated in a feminine voice, "You are a strange SkyWing."

This creature was no animal, it was a xeno. This must have been a fringe world of some kind. He was alone, without armor, and injured against a xenos foe. This would be difficult, yet there is no challenge an Astartes cannot accomplish.

He carefully thought about what to do. The codex would say…

The codex never said anything about this.

His mind wandered to Markais in his last moments. His actions in this case would probably be unorthodox and would even tread the line between for the Emperor and for himself. He readied himself for a moment, then let the words in his mind slip from his mouth, "What are you?" It was a solid question.

The creature did not appear to let up in its stance, whatever it was. It was not relaxed, but he had a feeling it was not aggressive. Most likely. "Were you born yesterday? I thought everyone knew what an IceWing was."

With the xeno identified, his next question was simple. "Who are you and what is your objective?"

The IceWing took a step back, its face changing. "You are really strange. What're you, some official or something?"

Logios adjusted his feet to prepare to jump into action. "Answer my question, xeno."

It took another step back. "Look, I'm just a scout, I was just on my way out of here. No need to-"

"Scouting what?" he asked, knowing this xeno might just be assisting in the sieging of imperials.

"Just here and there, it's not important. Who even are you?" it asked, clearly stressed.

He had mentally prepped this introduction for any and all who asked of his identity. "Adept Logios of the Angels Revenant Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes of the Imperium of Man," immediately bellowed forth from the alter Astartes, robotically practiced.

The IceWing looked dumbfounded, if its expression was anything like a human's. After a moment's pause, it stated, "Right, yeah, sounds uh… Pretty official. I'll leave you be, then?" It seemed to signal that it wanted to leave.

"No, you will not," Logios slowly said, emphasizing each word with raw power in his voice. One of his feet raised up slightly, and he slammed it down, though the noise it made had hardly been as impressive as his treads would have made.

The IceWing stared at the marine for a moment, whatever it was trying to convey completely lost on him. It then turned around swiftly, running into a sprint towards the edge of the plateau, dust flying behind it.

Logios began pursuit, but ceased when the scout had leapt into the air with its momentum, using its wings to begin flight. If only he had a jetpack, or even a damned boltgun, that xenos would not have even had a chance at escape.

With the pursuit abandoned, Logios quickly surveyed his surrounding once more.

There were certainly mountains littered with snow, lakes and rivers blue as the sky, rolling green hills, and even what appeared to be a jungle-like forest. This was a paradise world, if ever there were any, and no signs of Imperial structure was anywhere. Perhaps this was a planet upon the outer rim of the Imperium.

It made no difference to Logios. He would find and establish human contact eventually. This was significantly more difficult without his power armor, but finding a vox, even on a world such as this, would not be too much to ask for.

His observations were cut short by the white creature that flew away appearing once more over him, as if mocking him. "You know, for all you talk, you don't have a lot of show. It looks like you gave up before you even began!"

"Silence, xeno."

"I'm not even that fast a flier."

The xeno's ceaseless taunting was not appreciated. Still, the Astartes kept up his ready, almost statue-like stance. Whilst it would be recommended to purge the xenos from this planet as soon as possible, it would be useful to obtain something out of this xenos if they were indeed a scout of a faction. "Your incessant insults annoy me. What fa-"

"Annoys _you_? You talk like some elder, but you're clearly younger than that," it interrupted.

Logios was certainly not the oldest member of his chapter, being incredibly young at the age of 30 years. However, it was clear he was more mature than this petulant child of a xeno. His personal feelings would not get in the way of this matter, though. "What group is it that you scout for?"

"Well, if you wanna know, you'll have to catch me. You know, if your wings work."

Logios kept his gaze on the lazily bobbing creature, keeping itself in place with its flapping wings, "I do not have wings."

The xeno had a shift of expression, its eyes widening a tiny bit. Its mouth even appeared a bit agape. "I can't tell if you're serious or not."

The silence that followed was disturbing.

"You're actually serious, aren't you?"

Once again, the silence was palpable.

"Have I told you that you're strange?"


	2. Chapter 2

"So, just to reiterate, you are a wingless SkyWing."

The xeno had their observations blatantly wrong. "I am not a SkyWing, I am an Astartes of the Angels Revenant."

"Yeah, I got that, Angels Blah Blah. So is there anything else you, as a LandWing, can't do or don't have? Can you breathe fire?"

The acid he could spit could classify as fire, yet that was a last resort in the codex. He could hardly breathe it, but he would not give his enemy this information freely. "No."

"Wow. You know, I was supposed to be searching for some scavengers, but _this_ is a real treasure," it slyly commented, eliciting a spike of anger from Logios. "You're like a hatchling."

"I am no youngling!" he shouted out, standing ever slightly taller, "I may have only recently ascended into the ranks of the 9th Company, but I am more than capable of destroying you!"

There was a silence before the IceWing xeno began to laugh. It was a sinister witch laugh. At least, that was how he interpreted it. "You are so precious. You can't even fly, let alone send fire my way! What's to stop me from, I don't know, flying away?"

Once again, Logios was speechless. Rather, it was less out of contempt, but more out of being empty handed. He was without his suit, weapons, or even body structure, stranded on an alien world on some sort of high up plateau, with the first xeno he encounters making a complete fool of him. It was not even an Eldar.

The xeno seemed to notice something about him. "You seem upset there. You need someone to toss you off a cliff already?"

Logios had had enough. "Xeno witch, you said you were a scout. Of whom do you serve?"

"While I do appreciate your attention to detail, your questions could use a bit of work," it evaded the question. Clearly, it was in no mood to answer that one anytime soon.

Intimidation would not do in this case. He would need another method. He thought hard on just what approach to take with a xeno, bolter-less and in at a disadvantage.

The marines were making their way through an underground road, stretching deep into the Underhive. The two were advancing in the shadows of the Underhive, their presence attempted to be masked in some way. This was difficult with power armor, but at least they could converse without the outside elements hearing a thing. "Brother Markius, to which location are we advancing? This was not in our explicit instructions."

"Sometimes, it's better to kill two birds with one stone," his comrade responded.

Markius was strange. The codex dictated most, and the sergeant who issued their orders dictated the rest. Markius was akin to a mentor to Logios, always being paired with him. Despite his position in the 9th Company, Markius shunned the usage of heavy weaponry. For some odd reason, he prefered boltguns and all the light equipment they entailed. His strategies were… Unorthodox, to say the least. His attitude was less befitting of a successor to the Ultramarines and more of a Space Wolf.

"Then where are we heading, brother?"

His response was short, and left much to the imagination. "A little place I know of."

So they continued onward until they came to a place that had the word 'Bar' in its name. Markius gave a signal to stop as Logios thought they would enter the establishment. "What you think we're going to do, we are not."

"But why not? We are the Emperor's Angels, are we not?"

"Because that's not how you get results. If we had continued on down that road, we would not have gotten anywhere, and there would still be a cult about." Regardless of his disrespect for commands and his disregard for the codex, his words and ways did show some sort of experience. However, spending over one hundred years in the 9th Company like Markius had had showed just how far these tactics got him in the chapter.

And so, Markius had maneuvered in the shadows, Logios following close behind. They soon found themselves in a cramped alleyway, a single Imperial smoking what appeared to be a standard Lho-Stick.

"Citizen," Markius said outside his secure channel, into the open alley.

The Imperial looked up at the noise, seeing the Astartes and falling over in surprise. He held a hand up as he attempted to back up, "I ain't done nuffink wrong, spaysh muhreen! I ain't no baddie!"

"Relax. I am here for answers."

"Nah, ya gotta understand, can't tell ya nuffink, shir! Don't know nuffink, nope!" he screamed in his nasal voice, still scrambling backwards. Markius handed his boltgun to Logios, moving closer to the Imperial.

He then grabbed the arm of the Imperial, pulling him up and then bending down on a knee to become equal height with the Imperial. "You dropped your lho, by the way." Logios then saw that Markius had grabbed the Lho-stick somehow, it still burning.

The Imperial took it and then began smoking, him still being rather jittery. "Thank ya, lord shir spaysh muhreen. But I tolds ya, like I s-"

Markius held up a hand. "Question for a question?"

The Imperial looked at the two space marines. It was at that point that Logios realized Markius must have been some sort of hiver. And yet… He knew the ways of a dreg? How would his chapter allow for such a disreputable source for a chapter recruit?

"Ackshually, ya know, a lil' bit of by-tha-by might'n make me remember a fing or two."

"And what might help you remember?" Markius smugly said, clearly showing his expertise in these matters.

"Well, I suppose'n you… Spaysh muhreens knows a bit about… Chems, yeah?" Typical drug-infested dreg.

"Taste, touch, and smell, I know them all. You need names?"

"Yeah, yeah, ya know. What're somada good stuffs?"

"Obscura, you know it?"

"Yeah, yeah, look 'ere, lord shir, I need the name of da good stuff."

"Alright," Markius said, reaching into a pouch he always had at his side. Logios assumed it was for extra ammo, as Markius explained when asked about it. "You heard of Flects?"

The Imperials eyes opened a bit. "Nah, nah, I 'aven't. Whatsit?"

"Well, lucky you," Markius replied, pulling out a bag from his pouch. "So, hopefully your memory is better now. You answer my question, this year's worth of Flects is all yours."

This was, by no standards, allowed by the codex. However… It was an interesting way to solve their problems.

The Imperial nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, I knows a bit! Whacha need?"

"You seen any place where plenty of… Questionable Imperials go to pray?"

"What, chursh lookin' playsh but ain't no preachur visit dat playsh for years? Lotsa pointy bits in the entransh? Everyone going there packin'?"

"Yes, exactly."

"It's 'round the corner to da left, go down for three roadways, turn right, den it'll be on ya left, can't mish it. Abandoney chursh playsh."

Markius handed the man the bag he was carrying, and stood up. "Thank you, citizen. Keep up the good work."

"Oh, and uh… Wahch out fur da guns up top," the Imperial added.

Markius proceeded along the path described, with Logios following behind.

"I do not feel as though that was right, brother."

"It gets results."

This did not bode well. "Should we not tell the rest of the squad?"

"And get reprimanded by the chaplain?" Markius quickly retorted.

"What if there is a real, feasible danger?"

"It's a bunch of mere cultists, sent to be dealt with by the 9th company. We have advanced knowledge, and we are Astartes. There is no threat here," he responded.

Logios was not content, but he did not want to argue with the senior space marine.

Logios' brow furrowed, despite his unwillingness to show emotion. "Question for a question?" he stated, though it was without the tact Markius would have had.

"What?" the IceWing responded, confused at his proposal.

"You heard me. If my questions are so poor, perhaps you can ask me better ones, that I may learn."

The xeno appeared even more confused. It looked to the left, then to the right. It then flew itself past Logios, then landed thirty meters away. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this…" it shook its head, "Okay, Low Geos, I think you said it was?"

"Logios," he confirmed.

"Right, Logios. What are those little metal things all along your body?" it inquired.

Logios knew immediately what it was speaking of. The harm that could result if this species knew of the space marine biology… Honesty is the best policy. If even that dreg spoke in honesty, Logios could as well. "My interface to the Black Carapace."

"What's the… Black Carapace?"

"Is it not my turn for my question?" he interjected, knowing the terms of their agreement.

"Ugh, fine. Make it quick," it whined.

"Gladly. What is your designation?"

"What?" it responded in utter confusion.

"What are you called?"

"Most of us just say 'what is your name', but if SkyWings are so official, I'll play your game. I am IceWing Snowcap of the Sixth Circle," it explained, though the way it stated it seemed to be in a mocking tone. "Now what's this Carapace thing?"

"The organ of my body that allows me to interface with my power armor, yet I am unsure of where that has gone."

There was a silence that followed.

"Are you messing with me?"

There was another silence.

"Are you actually mental, or are you just messing with me to a degree I've never seen before?"

"I do not jest. As for my question, what is this Sixth Circle?" he asked, fearing an answer similar to the taint of Chaos that he was expecting.

"To an outsider like you, it must seem far too sophisticated to comprehend, but the IceWings found out that if you separate the most capable from the least, your culture works far superior to that of its inferiors. There are Seven Circles, all showing different abilities. The Sixth is…" it paused for a moment, before continued, "One of the best, so it's better for you if you stop messing with me."

Like a reverse Chapter organization. Instead of the first being the greatest, the last is the greatest. That was simple to comprehend, perhaps even child-like. "That is remarkably simple to understand. I, myself, belonged to the 9th Company," he stated, as if that was an achievement worth mentioning to any marine worth his salt.

Its eyes widened again. "Oh, so that's what that meant. So, how many Circles does your… Revenant thing have?"

"Ten," he answered simply.

It then seemed to observed the marine-turned-reptile. "You do seem very… Bulky for a SkyWing. Very very bulky. It… Uh… Makes sense you're in that… Company. Is nine meaning you're like second best?"

Though it knew of his Black Carapace, now was the time of misinformation. "I am second to only the Primarch." A massive lie, but it was useful. "Yet, it now my time to question. Snowcap, what planet is this?"

It tilted its head. "I do not understand. Planet?" Its knowledge appeared to be feudal.

"What is the name of this land?"

It seemed to click in its head what that meant. "Ah! Pyrrhia, though you are currently in the Ice Kingdo- Wait, why wouldn't you know this?" it questioned unexpectedly.

He thought far quicker than a regular being would. "I am unacquainted with this region."

"So… You come from far away?"

"Yes."

It waited for a further response that it would not get. "So… From where do you-"

"The question is mine," the Astartes seized the initiative, "IceWing, regarding your kingdom, you say. Who is this king?"

"Queen Glacier, though how anyone wouldn't know this is ridiculous. We haven't even had kings in a long while," it responded matter-of-factly. "Now, where do you come from?"

His thoughts went quickly to the history of his chapter, and it would service well here. "The land of Libethra. It was destroyed, but I escaped." This was not true, as he was not born on Libethra, but inducted due to the fleet based nature of the chapter. Hence why Markius could be in it despite being a hiver, and Logios could be in the same squad as him despite being a feudal worlder. In a way, Logios was right at home, not that he could remember much of his previous life. His life was the Emperor's and, by extension, the chapter's.

Its tail seemed to snap for a moment. "That just opens up more questions!" it shrieked out, "Are you still not messing with me?"

"I assure you I am most serious."

"So let me get this straight: you are a SkyWing that can't fly, is extremely bulky and has an… extra organ? And was part of a culture across an entire land, and is probably the last surviving member of a destroyed land." That last assumption was a stretch, but this story was adding up well enough. "Okay, Logios, how did you escape if you didn't fly?"

"By my power armor. Alas, it must have disappeared," he commented, but knew the Warp had stolen it. That sorcerer would pay. Why hadn't Markius call for support? "What are the other kingdoms, then?"

The IceWing appeared to still be comprehending all the details of the Astartes story. He could most likely change details around without it noticing for the moment. A lower intelligence sentient xeno, he concluded. "Uh… The Sky Kingdom, the Mud Kingdom, Sand Kingdom, Sea Kingdom, and… I believe there is one in the rainforest, but quite frankly, they don't do anything so it could be a bunch of lazy do-nothings for all I care."

This was most enlightening. These xenos were not united, and even had rivalries. These rainforest xenos appeared to be the primary opposition towards this ice kingdom. A useful ally if things had not gone as well as predicted.

"So… Uh… You have wings. Did you know that? Is there a reason you can't fly?"

For the first time, Logios tried to turn his head fully around instead of swivelling his view about. Surprisingly, there was what appeared to be a reptilian wing. His reaction was subdued, but he could see the use in such a device. The Apothecary would fix this, surely, but for the moment, he would have to use this.

He attempted to utilize this new apparatus. He tried to move his legs, his arms, his toes, and his fingers. His neck nor his back muscles moving produced results. He faced back forward from what would have looked like a bunch of twitching towards the IceWing.

"No. I was unaware of this. I had thought them vestigial organs as no one else had them. As such, I had never learned how to utilize them, their only use being that to label me a… Mutant."

Logios had this sudden realization. Despite his former status as Astartes, he was a mutant now. There was little to no way he could return to the Imperium safely unless he went directly to an Astartes chapter.

This complicated matters substantially.


	3. Chapter 3

Snowcap took a few steps towards Logios, though his guard had not dropped at all. "You aren't a mutant, as far as I can tell. But… If that land is destroyed, your Revenant Tribe don't exist anymore, do they? You hold no loyalties, yes?"

This witch's foul attempts to persuade him would do it no good. "I hold loyalty to myself and to the God-Emperor."

"But, if this Emperor was on Libethra, wouldn't he have been lo-"

"No!" Logios immediately barked. "The God-Emperor, betrayed by nine, would never be defeated by any circumstance! He is eternal and ever-seeing!" he roared, causing Snowcap to cease its advance and squeak as it takes a step back.

"Okay! So, of course, the God-Emperor lives forever on, yes? But surely, he'd be… Uh... Encouraging you to help others, yes?"

His facade was quickly falling apart. "He would not want me to serve some disgusting xeno."

The IceWing placed a clawed hand on its chest. "Disgusting? Well, if I knew you felt that way, I wouldn't have even tried to ask." It removed the talons. "However… You are not beholden to anyone. Perhaps you could be an ally of a kingdom, yes?"

It would be near heretical to assist a xeno. Sure, the Imperium still accepted and delivered assistance to xenos, even orks, but it was by no means commonplace and it was not anything Logios would condone.

And yet… He was a mutant on a foreign world with an increasingly slim chance of Imperials. "Which kingdom do you imply for me to assist?"

Once again, the IceWing began its walk on over, a bit of a sway in its narrow body as it took every step, announcing, "The glorious Ice Kingdom. I would be able to get you a Gift of Diplomacy to speak with our Queen directly. Seeing as you have an… Interesting physique, I believe it would be possible to teach you how to fly, possibly even how to fight, though… I mean, you probably already can, given you're second to one, right?"

"Yes." No, he was not. He was still far superior to many, especially a xeno. He doubted this xeno would be able to defeat him.

"Then surely, you would value our support. We care very much about… Loyalty, and your looks won't be too much of a problem. Especially if you held any information regarding the NightWings…" The way it said NightWing was with extreme contempt, the likes of which was rivalled by Imperials and Heretics.

Perhaps these NightWings were of the rainforest? He could fabricate another story, if needed. Lying did not come as natural to him as most Astartes, but he could and would. "Then I accept."

The IceWing tripped, almost collapsing over before catching itself. There was a silence as it composed itself again. "I didn't expect you to actually say yes that quickly. I had this whole thing I was going to say about how we are the strongest king-"

"Your propaganda is not necessary. I know of my situation," he humbly stated.

"Then… Uh…" the xeno stalled, at a loss for words. "Let's fly." It turned around for a moment, then ceased. "Oh yeah, you can't. Uh… Let's walk?"

A brilliant idea if they were not on a plateau. Still, the Astartes began following behind the IceWing, his footsteps far louder than the IceWings.

"So… What was Libethra?" it stated as it began to walk.

"Before I begin, I must inquire, are you an asexual species?"

"An a-what who now?"

"Are you a male, female, or have no idea what those terms mean?"

"I am female. Now what was that other one?"

"Nothing of your concern. As for Libethra…" Logios prepared one of the greatest tales that would regale both his chapter and would captivate this xeno. Also, it would serve as a double edged sword to honor Markius' passing. He died as all true Astartes should, defending his battle brother despite having all the odds against him.

* * *

They had made it to the end of the plateau, and he had been in the middle of a story where Markius had slain six Eldar with his superior wits.

"So this Markius seems like a legendary warrior! I haven't heard of your achievements though, if this Markius was also of the 9th company," she was uninterrupted by the edge.

Logios stopped however. It was not exactly a steep drop. He could easily slide down it without too much risk of damage.

He felt a force attack him from his back, and swiftly turned to face Snowcap. It was a light strike, but still a strike. "I'll race you down," she claimed.

He immediately adjusted. It was a… Friendly gesture, he assumed. It was not welcome, yet he would most likely have to get used to it as an ally.

"I accept your challenge."

He immediately jumped off the plateau's edge, and slammed his appendages into the slope. Surprisingly, they actually stuck in. He could, theoretically, climb a mountain like this. This was most useful. He detached them as soon as he noticed this, ripping them free with near minimal force. He swiftly began sliding downward, a pile of dust accompanying him.

"Hey, that's no fair! You got a head start!" Snowcap screamed from above. All was fair in war, however.

He continued sliding, but saw a small rock approaching that would ruin his grip. He quickly adjusted his sliding path, avoiding it with ease, but then saw some sort of branch-like plant in his path next. Once again, he adjusted, but he felt it brush an appendage on his backside. He looked back and saw that he had a tail of some sort.

One problem atop another, it seemed.

Suddenly, he saw the IceWing zoom right past him, its body like a missile. He quickly removed his arm from the area of the IceWing, but then looked forward to spot some sort of bush.

It was too late to adjust, so he braced with his arm up. He smashed, armfirst, into this bush, causing his body to double over. He felt his body quickly somersault over the large bush, falling flat on his back and he continued his descent. There was no pain in this action, it being fairly standard.

Even with his inhuman reflexes, the Astartes could not recover back up on his legs. There was dust covering his vision, but thankfully his superior eyesight negated this to the most part. He saw the end of the slope coming soon, and once again braced for an impact.

The IceWing was at the bottom, and was laughing. He singled out in the action that was going on, "How do you possibly mess this up? It's just a hill!"

This would not do. He could not let this xeno one up him like this. He quickly adjusted his body so he would land feet first. It was awkward feeling, with his tail in between his legs, but elevating the legs helped to alleviate that problem slightly.

The end came, and he slammed down with his legs, landed perfectly as his arms came forward, grasping the ground in front of his legs, looking as though he were normally standing.

"At least you stuck the landing," she commented, being nothing more than annoying.

"Then, I shall tell you of my tales," he casually said, resuming his walk behind the xeno. They would be mostly exaggerated, but what grand story was not?

"If they were anything like that, I bet this Markius guy would deserve to be the Primarch thing you spoke of."

"No, he did not. He was nowhere near the Primarch. The eighteen primarchs were beyond Astartes. They were the sons of the Emperor."

"So… There weren't just one Primarch, but eighteen?" it inquired, obviously confused by the greatness that is the Imperium's history.

"I was but the son of one of the Primarchs, Roboute Guilliman, greatest of the Primarchs," he revered, knowing that, truly, if Roboute Guilliman was around today, the Imperium would be far greater than any xenos or heretic force that could ever be mustered.

"And… So if he was the greatest and you are his son, does that make you on par with a Primarch?" A space marine who was on par with a Primarch? Being some sort of… Miniature primarch? That would be ridiculous, stupid, and incredibly unsafe.

"No. I would never compare to any of the other ones, traitors or no."

This only piqued Snowcap's interest. "Traitors?"

"The God-Emperor's favored son, Horus, betrayed him, and several other sons joined him. We crushed them, but not without the God-Emperor receiving a grievous injury."

"So wait, you're saying this God-Emperor, who's super powerful, got betrayed by his own family? What kind of loyalty is that?"

Logios could not abstain from a slight chuckle at that thought. "It is no loyalty. They had agreed to follow false gods, choosing to abandon our God-Emperor and his magnificence. I fear that I am the only follower of him upon this world."

She seemed to be silent for a few moments. "So… Is he dead?"

"Who?"

"The Emperor," the alien stated, sounding unnatural from the mouth of a xeno.

"No. He cannot die, for he is a god," he stated, as if this was not something everyone already knew.

"So… Let's say he was. Then who would be the next person you would defer to?"

"The Primarch. The Chapter Master would be next. Then the Chapter Captain."

"But they are all gone, right?"

Logios was silent. "I am sure some must have escaped."

"But you said nobody else had wings except you." He had dug himself in a hole by stating that no one else had wings.

Once again he was silent.

"Logios, you are alone here."

"I am aware."

"With nowhere to go."

"Yes."

"And you are following a stranger who could have killed you easily into a place you've never heard of until a while ago."

"You have summarized events well."

"And you see nothing wrong with this?"

"No." Should he have? He was an Astartes, this was hardly the worst thing he had seen, even in his days as a scout, however short they were. The Angels Revenant were still recovering from the loss of Libethra, so they did not dally on his wait to receive power armor and become a full battle brother. It was a necessity, after all, for a chapter to have marines.

Her silence was enough to indicate she was doing a lot of thinking.

"You are extremely strange, and I'm starting to believe everything you say."

* * *

There was a long walk of silence during their trip. However, that silence was broken not be them. There were foreign voices talking in the distance. "We have three of the eggs needed. Also, could we not meet all the way out in Ice territory?"

"No one would suspect it," was the response, both of these voices sounding masculine.

"Voices," the Astartes warned.

The IceWing rotated its head around. "What? I don't hear anything. Who'd be out here, in the middle of nowhere, anyways?" Snowcap responded.

"I do not know, but they are over there," he pointed in the direction of the noise.

"Are you certain?"

"Deathly."

"Okay, Logios, what are they saying, then?"

"Something about three eggs needed," he said, adjusting his path to them, attempting to be stealthy, learning that moving a certain way produced less sound.

"What?!" the IceWing softly exclaimed before falling behind the Astartes in a low stance.

"So, what, we collect the other two, and everything works out in the end? War over?" the voice said in an annoyed tone, its voice very light.

"Once they are grown, all conflict will end. It's as the prophecy says," the other voice stated.

"So… Where to next?"

Logios turned his head to Snowcap, but kept his gaze forward. "They speak of a prophecy."

Snowcap gasped, then whispered, "We must kill them quickly."

He focused back on the conversation ahead, his enhanced hearing coming in use. "I believe it's the MudWing next."

"That shouldn't be… Too hard."

"Shouldn't. That's the key word, Webs."

There was a pause. "Maybe it's best if there's only one dragon out collecting eggs. Last one was really close, and we can't risk the queens finding out about this."

"Yeah. I'll take it up on me, then."

"Hvitur, no! You're one of our best, and a-"

"An IceWing. Trust me, I have a lot up my sleeve, even if I'm clear as the day in the night. I'll be fine. Just wait back at the place."

"You know the brightest moon is approaching, right?"

"It'll be fine."

The two dragons came into the view of the Astartes. It seems as though, at that moment, they saw him as well.

One was much like Snowcap, a silvery color and possessing many spikes upon its hide. The other was some sort of turquoise colored reptile, but there appeared to be slight aspects of an aquatic animal upon it. It was also smaller than the other.

"A SkyWing? Out here?" one exclaimed.

Logios proceeded to halt and question, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Split up, he can't get both of us!" the smaller one yelled, and they both fled off in opposite directions.

Snowcap came forward quickly, then paused, looking at the two fleeing off into the distance. She then turned her head towards the Astartes. "Why didn't you kill them?!"

"My wings do not work and it would be unwise."

"They were those fools who steal eggs for some stupid prophecy!"

He paused for a moment. "A prophecy?"

"Some ridiculous NightWing prophecy!" she stammered out, beginning to stomp after them, but giving up as they began to fly off. "And I'm too slow to even begin to catch them!" She then circled around, following her tail, exclaiming, "And there goes my one chance at doing something right!"

She seemed to kick at the dirt, eventually sitting herself down. After taking off into the sky, it was easy to see where they were and where they were going. They eventually converged on a path, and began flying together. It was extremely easy to see where they were going.

Logios noticed that Snowcap hung her head low during this, staring at the ground. Her closes closed, and there was a strange sound coming from her. "I just wanted to do something."

The Astartes did not focus too heavily on the xeno, instead on the fleeing xenos of interest. They were heading towards the mountains. "It's not too late to do so."

"Yes it is. There's no point."

"I have seen where they are going," he persisted.

"It doesn't matter," she whined, "They're just going to escape again because I can't do anything and you can't even fly!"

"The objective is directly in our grasps, you understand? Them going towards that mountain means they are in plain sight."

"Who would hide in plain sight that obviously?!" she cried out angrily.

"Precisely," the Astartes responded, thinking of what the codex would state regarding this subject. "Our enemy is hiding inside that mountain."

"What?"

"We must assault the mountain, possibly find all the exits and bar them off. They will have nowhere to run, and the advantage of flight, unless there is a large enough chasm, would be muted." His tactical oversight, while not the finest, was decent enough, he thought. The lessons from his various teachings were still fresh in his mind from his days as a scout. It was also a very simple overview of the situation that was most likely. Perhaps they had a base above the mountain? That would be the next place to search. "Their only advantage would be an underground fortress, and even then, I suspect there is certainly a way to get through that."

"What are you even talking about?" Snowcap complained, unable to comprehend basic tactics. A simple-minded xeno such as herself would be pitiable by a weaker willed man, but he was an Astartes.

"We must see this queen of your's, and assemble a battle force, perhaps a squad, to assault that point. However, it would also be useful for a scout such as yourself to gather information about the-"

"I'm not even a scout!" the xeno yelled.

Logios had been deceived, yet he had been prepared. "Still, a scout would be-"  
"I'm not even useful! I'm just a part of the Sixth Circle! I was just out, trying to get a meal, then oh, look, you showed up, gave me a good laugh, then, suddenly, I had a moment to become renowned, maybe some recognition, but nope! Now you're just talking about nonsense!"

"I am not speaking of nonsense, xeno, I am speaking of basic tactics. Surely, you would have thought of this?"

"And now you're making fun of me! Fine, be that way, I don't even care!" she then began running.

The Astartes called out, "You are abandoning a possible ally to your kingd-"

"Whatever, it doesn't even matter!" she roared, beginning to flap its limbs to fly away.

And off the childish xenos went.

The Astartes looked about its setting. He could have followed the IceWing, yet...

Clearly, these IceWings were of no real importance. He would pursue these new adversaries, or possible friends, these… NightWings, he could assume. That was the prophecy they spoke of, so that must have been their faction.

Perhaps he would meet an Imperial on the way. It did not have to even be an Imperial, just a human would be good enough. Even a mutant would work.

Just as he began to wander away, he heard the flapping of wings get closer to him.


End file.
